1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the field of motorcycles, and more particularly, to a touring motorcycle modification kit that enables riders to add or remove saddle bags and/or a tour pack from a Harley-Davidson touring motorcycle while preserving the aesthetics of the motorcycle.
2. Description of the Related Art
The custom motorcycle marketplace has seen enormous growth over the past several years, fueled by a number of conditions. These conditions include: (i) the existence of an affluent “baby boomer” generation interested in acquiring youthful toys (like motorcycles) in an effort to stave off advancing years; (ii) glorification of the “steel horse” and “independent cowboy” images; and (iii) genuine enthusiasm for motorcycle riding in 40- to 70-year-olds who are in a financial position to purchase high-end motorcycles.
The recent phenomenon of television programs such as “American Chopper,” “Motorcycle Mania” and “V-Twin Television” has given the motorcycle industry an acceptance by the mainstream public that it had not enjoyed previously. These shows have demystified the motorcycle image and shown the public that not all motorcycle owners are “bad boys” or rebels. It has thus become more socially acceptable for a conservative businessman to own and ride a Harley Davidson motorcycle, further contributing to the demand for custom motorcycles.
As a result of society's increasing acceptance of motorcycles and the aura associated with them, custom motorcycle builders and parts manufacturers who in the past had been able to build respectable businesses based on technical and sales prowess or a racing career are now faced with the opportunity of marketing to a worldwide audience. Many of the signature names in the custom motorcycle business have seen their businesses explode with growth over the past several years. For that reason, many of them have recently moved from single-location, light-industrial welding and fabrication shops to large, multi-location operations with car-dealership-like store-front sales operations.
Harley-Davidson, Inc. in particular has benefited from this industry transition. The name “Harley-Davidson” is one of the most widely recognized trademarks in North America, and Harley-Davidson motorcycles are revered by motorcycle enthusiasts as the grassroots American motorcycle. Since its near demise in the early 1980s, Harley-Davidson has enjoyed steady growth and financial success despite the fact that the custom motorcycle industry siphons off an enormous amount of sales of both custom parts and complete motorcycles. Rather than feeling threatened by these custom builders, Harley-Davidson has chosen to endorse their efforts, realizing that the remarkable strength of their brand affords them a secure position in the industry.
The present invention is an after-market modification kit for use with Harley-Davidson touring motorcycles. A touring motorcycle is generally defined as a motorcycle that comes with saddle bags and/or a tour pack and is built to sustain heavy loads for longer periods of time than non-touring motorcycles. Accessories like saddle bags and tour packs provide greater storage, but they detract from the overall sleek look of the vehicle. The problem that currently exists is that many customers are generally drawn to the chopper or “street-fighter” styles of custom motorcycles, but these styles lack any storage capacity and are not practical for long trips. Motorcycle owners generally place a high premium on the appearance of their motorcycles, and when the saddle bags and tour packs are removed from factory motorcycles, the frames and brackets are exposed. Thus, if the desire is to own both a motorcycle with practical storage capacity and a motorcycle that looks good, a person today must purchase two different motorcycles.
It is an object of the present invention to solve this dilemma by offering a modification kit that allows the rider to remove the saddle bags and/or tour pack without exposing any unsightly frame or brackets. It is a further object of the present invention to provide a modification kit that allows the rider to change from a touring style motorcycle to a chopper style motorcycle, or vice versa, in less than a minute—and without using any tools. Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a modification kit that allows the motorcycle owner to use the factory saddle bags, tour pack, exhaust system, seat, and tail and signal lights.
Although a number of motorcycle improvements and/or retrofit kits have been patented or are patent pending, none of these inventions addresses the problem that is solved by the present invention, namely, providing both a sleek chopper look and the load-carrying capacity of a touring motorcycle in the same vehicle, and enabling the rider to convert from one type of motorcycle to the other without the use of any tools.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,073,948 (Motojima et al.) relates to a rear fender mounting structure designed to facilitate the process of mounting the rear fender to the motorcycle. This invention was also intended to allow a second rider to hold onto the backrest supporting brackets while the motorcycle is running without feeling the vibrations from the engine. This is accomplished by connecting the backrest supporting brackets to the grab rails rather than to the frame members of the sides of the motorcycle body.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,053,384 (Bachman, 2000) provides a system for removably mounting a saddle bag on the fender strut of a motorcycle. This particular invention does not solve the problem of the motorcycle frame and saddle bag mounting brackets being exposed when the saddle bags are removed.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,257,362 (Scherbarth, 2001) and U.S. Pat. No. 6,585,072 (Scherbarth, 2003) and U.S. patent application Pub. No. 2001/0027888 (Scherbarth, 2001) disclose a motorcycle fender mounting system that is designed to conceal the bolts that connect the front fender to the front fork of the motorcycle or the rear fender to the tail section of the motorcycle and also to provide an improved tail light wire routing system whereby the wires do not get dirty as a result of being located along the underside of the rear fender. In that regard, the inner support and the fender define a wire path in which tail light wires can be routed, thereby protecting the wires.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,349,783 (Galbraith et al., 2002) and U.S. Pat. No. 6,378,643 (Galbraith et al., 2002) and U.S. patent application Pub. No. 2002/0029917 (Galbraith et al., 2002) describe another saddle bag mounting system. This invention was intended to eliminate the need for external saddle bag mounting fasteners on the rear fender and corresponding tail section of the motorcycle; however, by locating the mounting points for the saddle bag frame inside the fender, this invention is impractical and requires tools to install the saddle bag frame. In addition, due to the structural design of this invention, only lighter weight saddle bags that do not require support from beneath can be used. This particular invention is not applicable to the Harley-Davidson touring motorcycles, which are designed to support both tour packs and heavier saddle bags.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,520,275 (Galbraith et al., 2003) and U.S. patent application Pub. No. 2003/0010555 (Galbraith et al., 2003) provide yet another saddle bag mounting system. As with the previous invention, and unlike the present invention, this system is designed to allow saddle bags to be installed on a motorcycle that does not otherwise come with saddle bags. With this invention, the external frame or assembly to which the saddle bags are mounted is bolted to an internal frame that sits underneath the fender. In the present invention, by contrast, the external and internal frames are not bolted together, thereby allowing the external frame to be quickly and easily removed. Furthermore, in this invention, a portion of the internal frame is visible when the saddle bags are not installed, whereas the internal frame of the present invention is not visible (with or without saddle bags).
U.S. Pat. No. 6,840,344 (Galbraith et al., 2005) relates to a luggage rack and backrest mounting system for a motorcycle. The backrest mounting portion of the system includes a concave recess on at least one side for snugly receiving a rounded side surface of a backrest assembly. The recess provides support to the backrest assembly such that vertical loads encountered during normal operation are carried by the snug engagement of the concave recess and the rounded side surface, thereby reducing stress on the fasteners used to couple the backrest to the mounting member.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,036,837 (Bauer et al., 2006) discloses a rear frame mounting system for a motorcycle in which the rear fender is mounted to the motorcycle frame while keeping the mounting hardware concealed but readily accessible. This patent does not involve installing or removing saddle bags and/or tour packs.